A light mist wrapped around like a gossamer veil, the newly risen sun draping the entire space in a warm, orange glow that radiated comfort from deep within.
The solemn atmosphere of the campus seemed no different from usual, but upon closer inspection, one could sense something was indeed different.
The neatly arranged lines of people, the even straighter postures, the shouting slogans...
Dormitory of Class 3.
"Hurry up, everyone, we only have twelve minutes left," Yu Na said as she applied face paint, calling out to the others.
"Will this not corrode our skin?" Yao Juanjuan hesitated as she held up a paint stick, "I’m already sad about getting a tan, if my skin gets rougher, how will I ever get married?"
Yu Na glared at her, "If you want to get married early, don’t enroll in a military academy, Yao Juanjuan, I’m warning you, dating in the academy can really get you expelled."
Luo Ye pursed her lips secretly in amusement. Who was it that declared war on her? She looked at Xing Nong and burst out laughing, "Let’s not be so funny, okay?"
Xing Nong fluttered her big, beautiful eyes, "They just described the general way of painting, but they never said we had to do it exactly like that. We need to have our own style, right?"
Several pairs of eyes fixated on Xing Nong, and then burst into laughter. While everyone else drew two to three uneven lines, she went and drew three horizontal ones, with thin stripes by the mouth, looking like a cat demon incarnate.
The smug Xing Nong struck a pose, "The purpose of applying camouflage paint is to conceal natural lines to achieve the effect of camouflage. Can you even tell who I am now?"
"Redo it!" Yu Na suppressed her smile and turned serious, "Camouflage paint shouldn’t be symmetrical, yours looks like it’s been measured with a ruler. Wipe it off and redo it quickly, the military demands discipline, let’s see if you can still laugh when you’re singled out for punishment!"
"Alright, I was just trying to make everyone laugh and relieve some tension," mumbled Xing Nong as she wiped her face with a tissue, "I don’t get it, why do we need to apply camouflage paint for selection? Are they worried the leaders will be too impressed with me?"
Luo Ye slapped her hand away and helped her clean up with a wet wipe, "What, do you think your face is a pig’s butt? You’ll rub your skin raw."
Yao Juanjuan continued with a pained expression, "Maybe in less than a year, our faces will be worse off than a pig’s butt, at least a pig’s butt is still white."
Bai Qingchu looked at her earnestly, "The butt of a black pig isn’t white."
"Are you trying to annoy me?" Yao Juanjuan examined her face in the mirror with three black stripes and sighed, "My beautiful dreams, they’re shattering bit by bit!"
"Most leaders have their own families, don’t fret about it."
"But the leaders still have sons and grandsons," Yao Juanjuan retorted, then upon realizing, rushed forward and furiously slapped Bai Qingchu, "You heartless jerk, I will fight you!"
"Someone’s sore spot is hit, now furious and trying to silence... murder... "
At precisely seven in the morning, the new cadets from Teams Five and Six gathered at the spacious East Playground, ready to welcome the arrival of the leaders.
Glancing at the clean faces of Team Six, Xing Nong whispered, "I seriously suspect that the Instructor is doing this because she’s worried about being overshadowed by the cadets’ beauty. With this comparison, she’ll definitely be the prettiest."
Yaoguang stretched her head forward, "Don’t you think we look quite imposing ?"
Xing Nong said wistfully, "It would be truly impressive with a gun and a beret."
"Dream on!" Yaoguang retracted her head, muttering softly, "Daydreaming doesn’t cost a thing."
At 7:10 am, cadets from other squads of the school also arrived at the East Playground, and the vast playground suddenly seemed much more crowded. The cadets from Team Five, however, still stood out conspicuously. Find the newest release on N0velFire.ɴet
Noticing the amused glances from the older students, Xing Nong dejectedly hung his small head: "I get it now, the instructor is particularly highlighting our team of black monkeys."
Miaomiao chuckled: "Xing Nong, you’ve got to look on the bright side. Even if we lose face, they can’t tell who is who, right?"
"Smart." Just as Xing Nong was about to snap his fingers, he noticed Hang Menglin marching briskly towards Squad Five and quickly stood up straight.
Hang Menglin, with a stern face, said: "Today is equivalent to everyone’s first performance report. I hope you all show your true capabilities and aim to secure all thirty spots. Do you have the confidence?"
The students of Squad Six nearby all turned their gaze towards Ye Mo, clearly a blatant challenge. Did they think Squad Six was made of soft clay?
"Are you confident?" Ye Mo smiled as he looked at everyone.